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What are the League of Legends LEC and LCS?

The League of Legends European Championship and the League of Legends Championship Series are the game’s European and North American domestic leagues.

Each league features 10 teams and is played over two “Splits” (Spring and Summer). At the end of each Split, the top six teams qualify for the Playoffs which decide the eventual champion. The champions of each league will qualify for international competitions such as the Mid Season Invitational and the biggest of them all, the World Championships.

What a horrendous performance from Misfits. It was do or die time for the team’s Playoff chances and they completely crumbled under the pressure. Losses to Fnatic and Schalke have severely dented their hopes but the even bigger blow was the manner of the defeats. Misfits were absolutely stomped by Fnatic and gifted a win to Schalke in an extraordinary turn of events. Bizarrely, Misfits to burst down baron, knowing that they were in vision and Andrei ‘Odoamne’ Pascu was lurking in the shadows with his Kennen ultimate ready. The top-laner deleted his opponents and secured the buff - leading to an easy Schalke victory.

If we’re honest, Misfits currently looks like the worst team in the league but still have a minor chance of Playoffs so for now, we’ll keep them in eighth place. And despite defeating them, Schalke doesn’t look much better. They hardly earned their win against Misfits and earlier in the week they were defeated by Excel despite the fact that ADC Elias ‘Upset’ Lipp picked up a penta-kill - no team in European history had ever lost after getting a penta.

Fnatic move even higher up in the standings but that will be quite the challenge with how the top of the table is shaping up. Splyce will worry many as they shocked G2 and SK Gaming to put themselves in with a shot of second-place.

Still, Schalke’s head to head record and extra win over SK and Misfits gives them a strong chance of finishing in the top six. Misfits are all but dead and buried while SK struggled with losses against Origen and Splyce who, to be fair, are very tough opponents.

The last team competing for a Playoff spot is Fnatic who are absolutely flying with a 6-1 record in the second-half of the Spring Split. The Worlds finalists finally look up to par as they have dismantled everyone who has stood in their way in recent weeks. Excel are still fighting despite being out of the Playoff race and managed to take down Schalke but they were no match for Fnatic who now has a 93.8% chance of finishing in the top six - completing their miraculous recovery.

And a good final week could even see Fnatic move even higher up in the standings but that will be quite the challenge with how the top of the table is shaping up. Splyce’s sudden resurgence will worry many as they shocked G2 and also took down SK Gaming to put themselves in with a shot of second-place. Also fighting for second is Origen who are clearly one of the smartest teams in the league with a very inform jungler in Jonas ‘Kold’ Andersen.

G2 will be sweating considering their shakey form moving into the Playoffs though there is a reason behind their sudden drop. Support Mihael ‘Mikyx’ Mehle has been struggling with wrist pain, a very serious issue for LoL players, and as a result, he has barely played any scrims or solo-queue. On top of that, the team slowed down its practise schedule after securing first place in order to avoid any fatigue issues.

LEC: Looking forward to the week ahead

The final week of the LEC promises to be a good one as teams compete for the best spot possible in the Playoffs. Fnatic vs G2 will be a fascinating game which could see Fnatic actually win considering their form and the fact that G2 will be playing with a substitute support in Hampus ‘Promisq’ Abrahamsson.

Meanwhile, Rogue could spoil the chances of Schalke or SK Gaming as neither of those two teams can afford a loss. Fnatic can still qualify for the Playoffs even if they lose against both G2 and Splyce while Misfits will need a miracle.

There is also a crucial battle for second place with Vitality, Origen and Splyce fighting for a first-round bye. Overall, every game counts and there could be a few extra games for LEC fans in week nine with a very high chance of tiebreaker games. If teams are even in wins, nexus towers and have an even head to head record, they will face in a game to decide their final place in the standings. If there are three or more tiebreaker games, there will be an extra broadcast on Sunday to watch the action unfold.

LCS: 100 Thieves fall short again

LCS power rankings: Week 7

Position

Teams

Odds

1

Team Liquid

1.14*

2

Cloud9

1.19*

3

Team SoloMid (TSM)

1.40*

4

FlyQuest (+1)

1.53*

5

Golden Guardians (+1)

3.00*

6

OpTiC Gaming (+1)

1.58*

7

Counter Logic Gaming (-3)

2.41*

8

Clutch Gaming (+2)

5.63*

9

Echo Fox (-1)

4.79*

10

100 Thieves (-1)

2.52*

Team Liquid (1.14*) once again proved that they are the top dogs in the LCS as the took down Cloud9 (1.19*) in convincing fashion with a little help from Dennis ‘Svenskeren’ Johnsen’s poor performance. Meanwhile, TSM managed to stay within arms reach of the top two with routine wins over OpTic Gaming and 100 Thieves.

Last week, we claimed that FlyQuest (1.53*) had to win both of their week seven games to put together any consistency and that’s exactly what they did - defeating Clutch Gaming (5.63*) and Echo Fox. The team should be a relatively safe bet to make Playoffs but their roster is clearly behind the three teams currently above them.

Counter Logic Gaming were poor in week seven. With losses against Golden Guardians and Clutch Gaming, the alarm bells will be ringing for CLG fans. CLG has once again shown inconsistency but the team doesn’t appear to have much hope at the moment.

Meanwhile, 100 Thieves (2.52*) look hopeless at the moment. Facing Cloud9 and Team SoloMid was always going to be a difficult task but they only have themselves to blame. Substitute mid-laner Max ‘Soligo’ Soong didn’t help the team improve and team leader Zaqueri ‘Aphromoo’ Black is still in horrendous form. It seems obvious that Aphromoo needs a break and with talented support William ‘Stunt’ Chen waiting on their academy team, a substitution in the support role seems like an obvious short-term solution.

And speaking of struggles, Counter Logic Gaming were poor in week seven. With losses against Golden Guardians and Clutch Gaming, the alarm bells will be ringing for CLG fans. CLG has once again shown inconsistency but the team doesn’t appear to have much hope at the moment.

Especially considering that neither of their opponents were particularly impressive in their victories. Clutch still have clear issues but former World Champion Chae ‘Piglet’ Gwang-jin has been turning up on off-meta picks like Irelia bot. With Echo Fox, 100T and CLG all struggling, Clutch has the individual talent to make a late run for a space in the Playoffs.

What to expect from the next week of LCS matches

Next week will be the penultimate week of the Spring Split and will be a weekend full of make or break moments for a lot of teams.

Things will kick off with CLG vs OpTic which will be a crucial bout in deciding who takes the final spot in the Playoffs. Meanwhile, Clutch Gaming could also continue their rise up the standings with an important match against Golden Guardians.

And with games against Echo Fox and FlyQuest, 100 Thieves must respond and begin picking up wins but it seems too little too late now. If anything, the organisation should probably begin experimenting, as they already have done, in order to solve their issues and prepare to go on the offensive in the Summer.

With a sports journalism background, Jack began his esports career a couple of years ago when he became the first full-time esports journalist at a British newspaper. He has followed League of Legends religiously over the last few years and now shares his expert knowledge with Pinnacle

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Pinnacle.com is operated by PinBet Malta Ltd, Level 4, The Penthouse, Suite 2, Europa Business Centre, Triq Dun Karm, Birkirkara, BKR9034 Malta and is licensed in Curacao under the Licence 8048/JAZ2013-013 issued to Ragnarok Corporation N.V., Pletterijweg 43, Willemstad, Curaçao for the provision of casino and sports bet. PinBet Malta Ltd and Ragnarok Corporation N.V. are subsidiary companies falling under the Pinnacle brand. Pinnacle is also licensed in Malta under the Gaming Service Licence MGA/B2C/290/2015 for the provision of sports betting. The Gaming Service Licence has been issued the 1st August 2018 to PinBet Malta Ltd and is regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority.

Pinnacle.com is operated by PinBet Malta Ltd, Level 4, The Penthouse, Suite 2, Europa Business Centre, Triq Dun Karm, Birkirkara, BKR9034 Malta and is licensed in Curacao under the Licence 8048/JAZ2013-013 issued to Ragnarok Corporation N.V., Pletterijweg 43, Willemstad, Curaçao for the provision of casino and sports bet. PinBet Malta Ltd and Ragnarok Corporation N.V. are subsidiary companies falling under the Pinnacle brand. Pinnacle is also licensed in Malta under the Gaming Service Licence MGA/B2C/290/2015 for the provision of sports betting. The Gaming Service Licence has been issued the 1st August 2018 to PinBet Malta Ltd and is regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority.